


Sleeveless

by Raelynn



Series: One Word Prompts [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, and liver samples, with boxing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 08:39:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6147939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raelynn/pseuds/Raelynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allaboardtheships on Tumblr gave me a one word prompt:  sleeveless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeveless

Molly heard the noise and the grunts the moment she stepped into the foyer of Baker Street. She glanced up the stairs. There was clearly something...active going on upstairs. Her brows knitted. 

Her mind wandered to vaguely naughty thoughts, but she pushed them aside. Even if Sherlock Holmes was upstairs with someone doing THAT, he wouldn’t leave the door to his flat open. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, picked up the medical cooler she’d set down, and started up the stairs.

As she turned the corner and stepped into the doorway, she froze.

Sherlock Holmes, dressed only in a pair of loose athletic shorts and a white vest, stood in the center of the sitting room, sparring with a freestanding punching bag. She couldn’t help but stare as his back muscles rippled with each punch, his hair limp with his perspiration and sticking to the back of his head as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

She continued to stare until an alarm went off on his phone, sat on his desk, and he stopped, reaching for it to swat at it until it stopped. He heaved in a breath, and then turned around.

“Are you going to come in, or just stare at me?” he asked, out of breath. He pick up a water bottle and took a long drink from it.

“Um,” said Molly, stepping into the room. “Sorry.”

They stood, staring at each other for a long moment. Finally, Molly spoke. “I didn’t realize how fit you’d gotten. It’s not like I see you sleeveless very often.” She indicated with the hand holding the cooler, which reminded her that she was holding it. “Oh, I brought you this. Shall I put it in the fridge?”

Sherlock nodded as he took another long pull from the water bottle. “Yes. Care to help me dissect it? Liver, isn’t it?”

Molly walked into the kitchen and put it in the fridge, calling “Yes, and yes.” over her shoulder.

When she came back into the sitting room, Sherlock was moving the punching bag back over into the corner and pulling the coffee table back into place. “Give me a chance to take a shower?”

“Of course,” she said.

Sherlock disappeared down the hall, and Molly sat down on the sofa, trying to reign in her emotions. She hadn’t realized seeing Sherlock all active and sweaty would have this effect on her. She’d been able to handle her feelings lately, but her hormones had other plans for her. She spent the entire time he was in the shower reminding herself how much she appreciated his friendship, and how she didn’t want to ruin what they’d built.

Sherlock came out, dressed in a pair of grey track pants and no shirt, a towel casually thrown across his shoulders. 

Molly gulped.

Sherlock froze, watching her. He slowly looked down at himself. 

“Sorry,” she said, averting her eyes. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Sherlock looked at her for a long moment, deducing. She refused to meet his eyes, staring instead at her hands. 

Finally, he spoke. “It’s me making you uncomfortable, but I had my reasons.”

Molly lifted her head, gazing at him without comprehension.

“I needed to know. And now I do.”

In five steps, he was in front of the sofa, reaching for her hand. She gave it to him, and he pulled her to her feet. 

“I needed to know if you were still interested in me.” he said plainly.

“Why? I’d still help you if I weren’t.” she said, trying to figure out what the consulting detective was getting at.

“Yes,” he said, reaching down to hook a finger under her chin, lifting her head to meet her eyes. “But you probably wouldn’t do this.”

With that he leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. After a moment’s hesitation, she returned his kiss eagerly, wrapping her arms around his waist. “What’s all this then,” she said, when the kiss broke.

“Something I should have done a long time ago, Molly Hooper.”


End file.
